stave

STAYV/steɪv/

Pluralstaves

Verbstaves, staving, staved

15 meanings of stave

Practice

1
nouncountable
One of the narrow strips of wood that form the curved side of a barrel or bucket.
Like one plank in the round wall of a barrel.
A single cracked stave let water leak from the wooden bucket.
The barrel fell apart when several staves came loose.
Similarslat, strip, board, lath
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2
verbtransitive
To hold something back or push it away by force or trickery.
Like holding a door shut to keep someone out a little longer.
They tried to stave the attackers from the gate.
She staved the bad news for as long as she could.
Similarrepel, repulse, fend, ward, hold
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3
verbtransitive
To smash a hole in something, especially the side of a boat or barrel.
Like punching a hole in the side of a box.
One hard blow can stave the side of an old barrel.
The rocks staved the bottom of the little boat.
Similarsmash, crush, breach, puncture, hole
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4
nouncountable
The set of five lines on which music notes are written.
Like ruled lines on a page, but made for music notes.
The pianist's right hand follows the upper stave while the left reads the lower one.
He sketched the tune on a single stave before arranging it for the quartet.
Similarstaff
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5
nouncountable
A strong wooden stick used for walking or for support.
Like a walking stick that helps you keep your balance.
The old shepherd leaned on his stave as he climbed the hill.
She cut a straight stave from a fallen branch.
Similarstaff, stick, pole, cane, rod
6
nouncountable
One of the round bars that form the rungs of a ladder or the bars of a rack.
Like one rung of a ladder that you step on.
He stepped on a loose stave and nearly fell off the ladder.
One stave of the rack had snapped in two.
Similarrung, bar, step
7
verbtransitive
To push something away or hold it back, as with a stick.
Like using a stick to push a boat away from the dock.
He used a long pole to stave the boat from the rocks.
The guard staved the crowd back from the doorway.
Similarfend, push, ward, repel
8
nouncountable
A verse or stanza of a poem or song.
Like one verse of a song.
The singer added a new stave to the old ballad.
Each stave of the hymn ended with the same line.
Similarstanza, verse
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9
verbtransitive
To fit something with the wooden bars or rungs that it needs.
The workers staved the new barrel before sealing it.
He will stave the ladder with fresh oak rungs.
10
verbtransitive or intransitive
To lose liquid, or let it be lost, by breaking the cask that holds it.
Like losing all your milk when the bottle breaks.
Half the cider staved when the barrel split open.
Careless handling can stave a whole cask of wine.
Similarspill
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11
nouncountable
A magic sign or symbol used in old Icelandic spells.
Like a lucky symbol drawn for protection.
She drew a protective stave on the door to keep evil away.
Each stave in the old book had its own special power.
Similarsigil, symbol, sign
12
verbtransitive
To make a seam watertight by hammering filler into it with a metal tool.
Like pressing putty into a crack to stop a leak.
Workers staved the seams of the deck to keep water out.
You must stave each joint before the boat goes in the water.
Similarcaulk, seal
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Less common meanings

13
verbarchaicintransitive
To break apart from hitting something hard.
Like a glass that shatters when it hits the floor.
The barrel staved against the rocks below.
Crates can stave if they fall from a great height.
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14
verbdatedintransitive
To walk or move along quickly.
Like hurrying down the street so you won't be late.
He staved down the road as if he were late.
He turned and blundered out of the house, stumbling over a chair and trying a wrong door on the way, and went staving down the street as if afraid to look behind him.
1845, The Century MagazineHere, staving means moving along fast down the street.
Similarstride, hurry, hasten, march, rush
Oppositedawdle, amble, stroll
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15
nounrarecountable
The first sound of a word that matches the first sound of another in a kind of rhyme.
[The] stave that binds the two halves of the line together the on-verse must be classified as D in spite of the f-stave . . stave-rhyme (OED s.v. Stave sb.)
1974, John Collins Pope, Old English Studies in Honour of John C. PopeHere, stave means a first sound that matches another word's first sound, in rhyme.
This may seem sparse and incomplete, but is reminiscent of the Old Norse stave rhyme technique in which one avoided two alliterating staves in one dipod – which the poets of that time considered superfluous.
2005, Studia musicologica NorvegicaHere, staves means first sounds that match each other in this kind of rhyme.
Note

Practice

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Origin

This word came from "staves," which is the plural of "staff."